Learning to Drive: Rick's First Car -- UPDATED

When I was in high school, my dad decided that I would not be allowed to get my driver's license until I got straight A's. This was brilliant thinking on his part. I'm not sure if he thought I would get straight A's, or if he thought it would be cheap because I'd never get the straight A's. What this meant was that I did not drive in high school.

I take that back. I drove twice.

In 10th grade, I drove Mike Clark's 1963 International Scout straight into one of those cement filled poles and put the engine through the radiator. I also "drove" my dad's dune buggy down a hill about a half a mile. I steered it, I did not actually engage the drive train in any way.

When I was stationed in Washington in 1976/77, I bought my first car (No, I had not yet learned to drive.) It was a 1962 Chevy Impala with a three-on-the-tree -- the classic beater car.) It was missing the air cleaner, so it often required someone to hold their hand over the top of the carburetor when starting it. It was a "six-banger" but it was only banging on four. Add to that that it had an engine block rolling around in the trunk, and it made for one slow ride.

I "taught" myself to "drive" in this car. Mainly what this meant was learning to start out without killing the engine, and how to make a right turn without running into the opposite lane. I used to take it out on the tank trails at Ft. Lewis, back in the old-growth timber. From time to time, I'd take out tree-stump when the right turn practice didn't go all that well.

I got several tickets in that car. Speeding. Running a light. Driving without a license. Only the last one's stuck.

I eventually sold/traded the car for a ten-speed bike and about $50 in weed. It never ran again.

UPDATE:I forgot to mention one other feature of this car, that being the "ventilated gas tank." Along with the engine block, there were a couple of old batteries in the trunk which had spilled over. The acid ate a hole in the floor of the trunk and, not content to stop there, kept on going and ate a hole through both the top and bottom of the gas tank. What this meant was that the car would not hold more than 3/4s of a tank of gas.

This car went zero to 50 (top speed) in about 5 minutes.